Two Hearts Beat As One
by persephone2
Summary: "Please hurry. It's an emergency."
1. Default Chapter

Title: Two Hearts Beat As One  
Author: Jane Morrison (LUCKYJ50@aol.com)   
Rating: G  
Category: Josh/Donna angst; a little Sam  
Disclaimer: They are *so* not mine. They will forever be Aaron Sorkin's to   
me.   
E-mail address for feedback: LUCKYJ50@aol.com   
Archiving permission: Sure! Just let me know where so I can visit.  
Feedback: Yes, please!! It makes my muse very, very happy.  
Notes: All my other J/D fics have been pure romantic fluff, and this is my   
first attempt to "bring the angst". My friend Christine assured me I have   
done just that and that I should post it. And I ALWAYS trust her opinions.   
I've actually written lots of angsty stuff in another fandom, and I wanted to   
have add some J/D angst to my portfolio:). This is a stand alone, another   
"moment in time" type of fic, something I've become quite fond of writing.   
Thanks to Christine for all the invaluable support, suggestions, etc. I   
couldn't do it without her input!  
"Two Hearts Beat As One"  
  
There's the phone ringing in the middle of the night. Then there's the   
racing heart as she answers. She knows good news never comes in the middle   
of the night. And there's the terror when she hears Leo's words, even though   
she doesn't hear all of them.. Only the important ones. "Josh...hit by a   
car...very critical...you should come at once." And finally, there's the   
panic as she tries to dress and call for a cab. She doesn't trust herself to   
drive in the snowstorm. Her fingers try to dial but she's shaking so hard   
they keep slipping. She cries out in frustration. Finally she gets it   
right. She gives her address. "Please hurry. It's an emergency."  
  
She stares out the window at the falling snow, eyes stinging with tears,   
during the interminable cab ride. During the walk into the hospital on   
unsteady legs to find Leo, to see Josh, she repeats this mantra: "Please   
God, let him be okay; please God let him be okay..."  
  
~~  
Two days later.  
  
Josh is no better. Internal injuries, they say. Only time will tell. He   
drifts in and out of consciousness. She sits with him as often as they'll   
let her. He sleeps. In his rare moments of consciousness he looks at her   
hazily and says her name.   
  
She spends a lot of time on the sofa in the waiting area, surrounded by   
others who are waiting as she is. Just waiting. She's dozed off and is   
dreaming about Josh, a happy and healthy Josh, when she becomes vaguely aware   
of a presence, of someone covering her with a blanket, kissing her lightly on   
the forehead. She fights her way back to consciousness. She's so tired.   
Her eyes finally open and she has to adjust to the bright light in the   
waiting room before she realizes who it is. She turns toward him, tears   
slipping from her eyes. "Sam."  
  
He kneels beside her, takes her hand. "I came as soon as I heard. I didn't   
mean to wake you."  
  
She sits up, pulling the blanket around her neck as he sits beside her.   
"It's okay." She rubs the back of her neck, sore from all the hours spent   
here.   
  
"How is he?"  
  
"There's been no change. We wait. And wait. And wait, until I think I   
can't bear it anymore. Sam...I'm so scared." She reaches for him and   
dissolves into his arms and cries. He tries to comfort her. He doesn't know   
how to make her feel better because he knows she loves him. Has known it for   
such a long time.   
  
"Donna. He's going to be okay. I feel it. Josh and I have this connection   
you know?"  
  
She nods, attempts a smile. "I know. It's so good to see you. I've missed   
you."  
  
"Me too. Do you think they'll let me see him?"  
  
"Let's go find out."  
  
~~~~  
Josh is awake when they enter the room.  
  
"Hey, Josh."  
  
"Sam. You're back."  
  
"I came back to see you. Had to make sure you weren't barking orders at   
everyone and making their lives miserable."  
  
Josh smiles weakly. His voice is strained. "Feel like shit."  
  
"You will for a while."  
  
Josh searches the room with his eyes. "Donna? Where's Donna?"  
  
"She's waiting outside."  
  
He nods and tries to sit up. His voice is even more strained. "You take   
care of her. Sam. Take care of her for me."  
  
Sam can't speak. Josh thinks he's going to die. And he might die. Josh   
might die. Sam shakes his head, the thought too horrific to think about.   
Who could survive his death? Not him, not Leo, certainly not Donna. Most   
of all not Donna.   
  
"Josh. You're going to get better soon and you can take care of her   
yourself."  
  
"Love her. I love her Sam."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Have to tell her. Need water." Sam helps him, holds the straw for him.   
"Ahhhh. Tastes like a fine wine."  
  
Sam smiles. "I'll get Donna."  
  
"Tell her, Sam. Tell her for me."  
  
"I'll get her. You can tell her yourself."  
  
Sam goes to the door and motions for Donna to come in. She goes to him,   
leans over and kisses him on the cheek.  
  
"Missed you."  
  
"I'm always here, Josh. I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"Have to tell you...have to tell you something."  
  
She sits on the side of the bed and he reaches up to touch her face, but he's   
so weak, his hand falls to the bed. She takes it in her two, rubbing it.   
"Josh, try to sleep. You need to sleep." He nods and closes his eyes and   
slips away again. Finally Donna stands up and falters, grabs the side of the   
bed to steady herself.  
  
Sam is beside her instantly. "Are you okay?"  
  
She nods. "Just a little dizzy. I'll be okay."  
  
"Donna, have you eaten?"  
  
She shakes her head. "I can't."  
  
"You have to keep your strength up. Let me take you to the cafeteria and get   
you some soup at least. You need to eat."  
  
She smiles sadly. "Okay."  
  
In the cafeteria Sam insists she needs "comfort food" and chooses chicken and   
noodles on mashed potatoes for her. She takes a few bites, but mostly she   
picks at her food, pushing it around on the plate.  
  
"Donna. Eat, please."  
  
She puts her fork down and looks at him, her eyes pleading. "He can't die,   
Sam. I can't lose him."  
  
"You won't lose him. Donna, you're the most optimistic person I know; you   
have to think positive."  
  
She dissolves into tears again. "It's just so hard. I want him back in his   
office screaming at me. I would give anything to hear him screaming at me   
right now. It's just so unfair."  
  
"I know." He sighs. "You're not going to eat the rest of that are you?"  
  
She shakes her head. "I can't. Not until I know he's okay."  
  
Sam boxes up her food, takes it with them back to the room, knowing she won't   
eat it. The doctor is coming out of his room as they approach, his   
expression grim.   
  
Donna looks at him, starts to speak, but the doctor shakes his head. "He's   
slipped back into a coma. We're playing a wait and see game now and I'm   
afraid it's up to Josh now to do the fighting."  
  
Donna nods. "Thank you." She doesn't know what to say anymore. She and Sam   
enter the room. She goes around to the side of his bed and sits down, looks   
up at Sam. "I'm not going to leave, Sam. He has to know I'm here. I'm   
going to will him to get better."  
  
"Then I'll stay with you for as long as you need me." He pulls up a chair   
and sits on the other side of the bed.  
  
Donna looks at Josh for a long time, stroking his face. Finally she leans   
over and whispers, "Don't you leave me, Joshua Lyman. Don't you dare leave   
me." And she hopes he can feel her heart beating against his, hopes it will   
give him the strength to fight, to get better, to come back to her.   
  
But most of all she prays, and hopes her love will save him.  
  
The End.  
~~~~~ 


	2. The Sequel

Title: Two Hearts Beat As One - The Sequel  
  
Author: Jane Morrison (LUCKYJ50@aol.com)   
  
Rating: G  
  
Category: Josh/Donna angst  
  
Disclaimer: They are *so* not mine. They will forever be Aaron Sorkin's to   
  
me.   
  
E-mail address for feedback: LUCKYJ50@aol.com   
  
Archiving permission: Sure! Just let me know where so I can visit.  
  
Feedback: Yes, please!! It makes me very, very happy  
  
Notes: I vowed when I wrote the first part of this that there wouldn't be a   
  
sequel, but so many people asked for one that I just had to write it. You   
  
should read the first part before this part or it probably won't make a whole   
  
lot of sense. Part One was posted on 5/12/03, but if anyone wants me to   
  
email a copy just let me know, and I'll send it along. As always, many   
  
thanks to Christine for suggestions, proofing and inspiring my muse to keep   
  
active :). And thanks to all who sent such great feedback for the first part!!  
  
"Two Hearts Beat As One" ~ The Sequel  
  
He spends his days, when he's alone, staring aimlessly at the TV or out the   
  
window. Recovery is slow. Too slow. He wants, no, he *needs* to be back at   
  
work, back in the thick of things. He feels lost, disconnected. Out of   
  
touch with the world. And so he stares, waiting. Waiting to heal, waiting   
  
for the doctors to tell him he can go back to work.  
  
He tries to remember the accident. He remembers the snow, nearly blinding,   
  
as he stepped off the curb to hail a cab. He remembers the flash of   
  
headlights, the sudden shock at being on his back on the ground, his whole   
  
body numb, the searing pain in his head. He remembers a face above him, the   
  
hand on his shoulder, the distant frantic sound of the man's voice. "You're   
  
gonna be okay, buddy. I've called 911." And he remembers seeing her face,   
  
even though he knows she wasn't really there, and thinking or perhaps saying,   
  
"Donna," just before his world disappeared into darkness.  
  
Donna. She appears at odd hours of the day, whenever she can slip away, and   
  
spends every evening with him, sometimes sleeping on his couch. She brings   
  
him food, books, magazines, and regales him with news of work. But not too   
  
much. She insists that he needs his rest and shouldn't be worrying about work.  
  
He hates being dependent on anyone, most of all Donna. But she's been so   
  
selfless and unrelentingly cheerful these past weeks. He watches her now as   
  
she flits around the room, straightening, humming softly to herself. He   
  
doesn't understand how she can be so happy in the midst of all of his angst.   
  
But he also doesn't know the source of her happiness; that sometimes in his   
  
sleep he tells her he loves her.   
  
Donna tells him that Leo, CJ, Toby and Will, all kept vigil with her when   
  
they could.  
  
And Sam. Sam has called every day since returning to California. He misses   
  
Sam, doesn't think his life will ever be quite the same now that he doesn't   
  
see him every day. Donna tells him that Sam was there for nearly a week when   
  
the accident first happened. He vaguely remembers him being there, of telling   
  
him to take care of Donna for him, tell her he loved her.   
  
He remembers the warmth of Donna's breath in his ear, her soft whisper,   
  
"Don't leave me...". But most of all he remembers feeling her heart beating   
  
against his and he remembers thinking if only he could match his heart beat   
  
to hers he would get better. He thinks about this now as he watches her. He   
  
wants to feel her heart beating against him again. In fact it's something he   
  
wants to feel every day, and every night as he's drifting off to sleep. He's   
  
going to tell her this soon.   
  
She must sense him watching her because she stops in the midst of opening the   
  
blinds a bit to let more sunlight in and turns to him. She smiles and he   
  
thinks how angelic she looks standing in the sunlight. He swears he sees a   
  
halo around her.  
  
"What?"   
  
"You take such good care of me, Donna." He smiles. "That's all." He runs   
  
his hand through his hair. "But you need to get back to your life and not   
  
spend so much time here."  
  
She kneels in front of him, taking his hands. "But where else would I be,   
  
Josh?"  
  
He feels his throat tighten. She's the one thing, the one person who has   
  
saved his sanity these past weeks. "I owe you so much."  
  
"You owe me nothing. You lived. Nothing could ever compare to that, or be   
  
more important to me that that, Josh. Nothing."  
  
She looks at him, her eyes brimming with tears, full of hope and yearning.   
  
He pushes a piece of hair back from her face and cups her chin in his hand,   
  
and he finally knows the truth and his heart soars with the knowledge.  
  
Her love is what saved him.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The End  
  
Feedback is lovely!!! 


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